The man of God then prayed, that the Syrian host might be smitten with blindness. It was done. Elisha then went to them, and without their knowing him, led them into Samaria, under the delusion, that they would there find the man whom they sought. On arriving in the city, their sight was restored to them. They at once discovered their helplessness, surrounded, as they were, by an irresistible force. On seeing his enemies, they who had stood in array against his dominions, so completely in his power, the King of Israel said to the prophet, "My Father, shall I smite them? shall I smite them?" How perfectly this repeated question harmonizes with the violent passions excited by war-furies! How exactly it coincides with the voices that speak from the iron lips of force and revenge! These Syrians were the enemies of Israel. They were now completely in the king's power. His troops were at hand, and, by his order, they would at once slaughter the helpless Syrians, who could then give him no more trouble. In what manner could he more readily relieve himself of their fierce enmity? It is true, that it would be a work of cruelty; that it would make Syria trem

ble with the wail of anguish, which would burst from the hearts of its widows and orphans; that out of the blood thus shed, fiercer, and more unrelenting foes, might arise, to exact from him a terrible retribution for his revenge. But yet, these Syrians were in his power, and why not smite them?

What answer gave the prophet to the king's repeated question? It is a remarkable answer, worthy of profound regard, and comes to us from that old time, sweeping through the terrible tempests of human passions, like an angelic song, becoming the "still, small voice" of God amid the storm, the fire, and the earthquake. Turning to the king, he said, "Thou shalt not smite them. Would'st thou smite those whom thou hast taken captive with thy sword, and with thy bow? Set bread and water before them, that they may eat and drink, and go to their master." (verse 22.) This must have been a new mode to the warriorking, of treating his enemies. Did the worldly wisdom, of which we hear so much in our day, suggest the idea to him, that if, instead of crushing his foes, he should obey the prophet, and treat them kindly, they would lose all the good

feelings that lingered in their hearts, and, as soon as away from his presence, would resume their weapons with ten-fold hatred and malignity? If this idea did occur to him, he did not obey it. He preferred to follow the command of the prophet, in whose mind the lamp of inspiration was steadily burning, and who communed with the invisible forces of love and truth, and, therefore, must have, at least, a portion of the heavenly wisdom. What he did, and the result thereof, the historian has stated: "And he prepared great provision for them.

had eaten and drank, he sent

And when they them away, and

they went to their master. So the bands of Syria came no more into the land of Israel. (verse 23.)

This was the answer which Elisha gave to the question, "Shall I smite them? This was the conduct of the king, disarmed of his war-spirit. And this was the result, falsifying the foolish thought, that the full gushing of mercy's spring, will do in the heart, just what an intolerable tyranny will, and excite malignant passion into furious activity. It was a new way to kill enemies. These Syrians were still living men; yet

they lived, not as foes, but as friends. So far as they were concerned, Israel was better protected, than by armed soldiers. "For the bands of Syria came no more into the land of Israel." Truly, the Apostle seemed but echoing this great fact, when he said, "If thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink; for, in so doing, thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head." (Romans xii. 20.) The warrior-king did both. And as the stubborn head of iron first softens, and then melts in the furnace fire, so he subdued their stiff hearts, by unexpected kindness. A strange scene, indeed, for a soldier-king, in the midst of armed followers, trained to blood, trying the gentler weapon of generosity, and finding it more potent and irresistible. than spear and sword. And we know not what thoughts must have agitated his soul, as he saw the Syrian host departing in full security, to no more trouble his kingdom with the strife of blood and pillage. As for the prophet, he knew that it was one of the triumphs of God. It must have appeared to him like a brilliant ray of light, preceding the rising of the Sun of Righteousness, with the balm of healing in his wings.

This is the account which has been given of an event, that transpired in so ancient an age. With a living reality, two facts start out of this account, and travel down through successive centuries to our times, for illustration and application. The first is, that question of terrible import," Shall I smite them?" The second is the answer of the prophet, "Set bread and water before them." These represent two great ideas, which are embodied in this world, and are, therefore, tangible. The one is the voice of the spirit, which stirs up the passions into malignity and hatred - the spirit which so much pervades the cruel theologies of the past and the present, seeking to chill the serene air of heaven with an endless blast of its blighting breath. The other is in harmony with Christianity, and unfolds its nature and tendency. It is a true sign of its saving character, of the heavenly emotions with which it exercises the soul, and of the noble kindness of those emotions, as they show themselves in the outward life. For the Gospel, in its doctrine, its precepts, its aims, its results, never uses the language of revenge, nor acts in accordance with it. Its heart, on the contrary, beats with the heart of